고려 왕실의 태실(胎室)에 대하여 = About the Goryeo Royal Family’s Taeshil(胎室)

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Examined in this article is the Goryeo Royal Family’s Taeshil(胎室) places. Taeshil refers to a special place chosen as an auspicious ground ideal for a ‘placenta’ -from a royal birth (and put in a container)- to be buried and preserved. The surrounding area would be decorated as well.
This establishment of Taeshil places, practiced by people of the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, is a culture unique to the Korean peninsula, and can hardly be found in adjacent countries. The Goryeo period marked the very beginning of such practice and culture, and examination of it revealed the following results.
First, Taeshil places were established since the days of Founder King Taejo (太祖) Wang Geon(王建), but protocols for the practice seems to have been firmly established only in the early 11th century. This would coincide with the reigns of kings Hyeonjong(顯宗, r.1010∼1031) and Munjong(文宗, r.1046∼ 1083), when Goryeo’s other rituals and institutions were completed as well.
Second, Taeshil places of Goryeo were oftentimes established in or near the Buddhist monasteries. They not only served as places symbolizing the Kings’ authority, but also functioned as a prayer ground wishing fortune and luck for not only the individuals related to the Taeshil but the entire dynasty as well. That was why the Taeshil places for dethroned kings were dismantled from time to time.
Third, Taeshil places were usually established in high places such as hills, due to the time’s belief in mountain and stream deities. Such geographical conditions continued into the Joseon period, and construction of its own Taeshil places. In Joseon, different Pungsu(風水) theories were developed, which led to different locations chosen for the local administrative centers or royal mausoleums. Yet Taeshil was a different matter, as we can see that Taeshil was the one area where the Goryeo Pungsu theories continued to prevail even later on.
The Goryeo Royal family’s Taeshil places shows us all the general qualities of the Goryeo Pungsu culture: the symbolic image of the Founder King, influenced by the mountain & stream deity belief, merging of Buddhism and local governing, and the authority of the state and royal family, which affects the destiny of the entire country, etc. Following the Goryeo tradition, the Joseon Royal family also established Taeshil places, yet the range of individuals to receive such places was widened. The places, and their general status was also changed from how they had been during the Goryeo period.